A COUPLE who served together in the RAF have been shortlisted for a national award after switching planes for parcels.

Gareth and Gill Rossiter, from Cheselbourne in West Dorset, were shortlisted in the Service Leaver Franchisee of the Year category at the annual Nationwide Resettlement Awards, organised by Pathfinder.

The awards ceremony is held to celebrate and recognise ex-servicemen and women who have returned to civilian life after serving their country and have had a positive impact on their local communities.

Gareth served in personnel support and Gill as an air traffic controller, but as they approached retirement after three decades in the RAF they decided to launch their own business in a bid to spend more time with each other.

The couple now deliver Riverford organic produce to doorsteps across Dorset.

Gareth said: “The thought of leaving the military after so many years of service can be daunting. But when we knew our time was up, we began mentally preparing for civilian life.

“The services provide outstanding resettlement training as part of the transitional period, steering people through options available, one of which is starting your own business.”

During the awards evening, which was hosted by the BBC’s Bill Turnbull, 11 awards were presented to ex-servicemen and women at a glitzy ceremony in Manchester. The couple missed out on the top award, but Gill said that the couple were still honoured to be shortlisted.

She added: “Gareth and I were honoured to be nominated and delighted to be finalists.

“The awards evening was superb - we even met some old friends - it was also emotional as we were in the company of some truly awesome young people who have overcome immense challenges due to injury, but whom have moved-on to better things, helping other people along the way.”

Nigel Loveridge, Riverford’s franchise services manager, said: “Gareth and Gill have run their business for just over a year, during this time they have become one of the highest-performing Riverford territories in our network.

“We are delighted that they were finalists. This recognition is further testament to their hard work and success to date.

“It’s been great to see their military work ethic transfer over into their business.

“In the short time since Gareth and Gill joined the Riverford ‘family’ they have worked incredibly hard and put a huge amount of effort into building and running their business.

“They really are an asset to the Riverford network.”